Page 27 of From the Ashes

Beep… Beep… Beep…

The incessant beeping was driving me fucking crazy. I knew I was asleep because I’d had this dream before. On mornings when I didn’t want to get up for school, my alarm would go off in real life and I’d hear it in my dreams. Then I’d dream about trying to turn it off, but nothing I did worked. And that’s what was happening right now.

I’d already hit the button several dozen times and it wouldn’t turn off. Smashing it with my fist still didn’t get the noise to stop. Getting up out of bed I picked up the alarm clock and ripped it out of the wall, taking its power source away. But the beeping continued.

Next, I turned it over and tore it apart, looking for the batteries that itmusthave had to keep it beeping for so long. Even when I’d torn it in half and found no batteries, the beeping continued. Throwing it on the ground, I stomped it to pieces, my frustration reaching a fever pitch.

I crammed my fingers in my ears, which didn’t help in the slightest, and tried to find a way to wake myself up. Usually, I just had to think about waking up for it to happen. But this time my brain didn’t want to cooperate. Instead, I was stuck standing there, tears of frustration welling up.

Then I felt something in the back of my hand. A sharp prick of pain. I pulled my hand away from my ear looking it over. The moment I did, a low rumble filled my mind. It took me a second to realize it was a voice. I couldn’t understand what it was saying. It sounded almost like those movie scenes where everything goes into slow motion and suddenly everyone sounds like dinosaurs or something.

Closing my eyes, I forced myself to concentrate on the sound. Somehow, I justknewthat I needed to follow it. Bending all my will toward the sound, I moved my hands again. It came back once more, louder and quicker this time.

“He moved again!”

Taking a step, I willed my body to go toward that sound. I had to get out of this darkness full of it’s never-ending beeping.

As soon as that first step landed, I felt my body whooshed forward through the void.

I sat straight up in bed with a gasp. When I opened my eyes, I was immediately blinded by light as bright as the sun. Even forcing them closed again didn’t help. I lifted my hands to shield my face, but I found them painfully restrained by something. I ripped at the cords holding me in place, trying desperately to get away from that bright, blinding light.

I was suddenly terrified I’d gone the wrongway.

“Charlie! Don’t do that!” It was Mrs. McKean’s voice. “You’re going to hurt yourself!” I felt her hands on my forearms, trying to hold me down. “Ted! I need you!”

A moment later there were much stronger hands on my arms, holding me down.

“Charlie,” Mr. McKean said. “You’re okay. But you’re going to pull your IV out if you keep doing that.”

IV? What the hell was he talking about? But I didn’t have time to think about that just yet. My brain was racing, and my heart was beating a million miles per hour. I was terrified of that light. Terrified that I’d strayed too far in my sleep and I was on the edge of death. I’d heard all about ‘going toward the light’ and that was the last fucking thing I wanted to do.

“Light…” I choked, my throat bone dry and painful. “Can’t… go… light.”

A thick hand let go of my arm and came to rest across my eyes, blocking out the light immediately.

“You’re okay,” Ted repeated, his hand firmly on my face. “Laura! Turn the lights off and shut the curtains. He hasn’t opened his eyes for nearly four months. It’s blinding him.”

Despite my racing heart and brain, the words landed on my ears, but I didn’t understand them. I’d just been dreaming. Obviously, I was at home in my bed, and I’d just woken up. But why were the McKeans in my room? Why were my arms restrained? Why did the sheets feel so scratchy? And why did I feel so weak?

“Go get Phoenix,” Ted said as soon as the whooshing of the curtains had ended. “He’ll keep Charlie calm.”

Footsteps rushed out of the room and while I wanted to open my eyes and figure out what the hell was going on, I was also happyfor the darkness once more. Then I heard the beeping and let out a groan.

“What’s wrong, Charlie?”

“Be… Beep…” I managed to say at last. “S-Stop.”

Ted’s other hand let me go and I heard a small click. The beeping stopped.

“Is that better?”

I nodded, relief flooding through my system as I nearly teared up. Finally, after all that time… the beeping hadfinallystopped. In a matter of seconds, I felt my sanity begin to return. I was still confused as to where I was and why the neighbors were in my room. But at least I didn’t feel like I was being driven to madness anymore.

Footsteps rushed back into the room. By the sound of it, two pairs of them. I heard a sharp intake of air and turned to face it.

“Ch… Charlie?”

It was Nix’s voice.